Axe Blade/Toki Pounamu

Museum number: UEM158

Material: nephrite/jade

Region and culture: New Zealand - Maori  

Description: Toki pounamu or nephrite adze from Hokianga, Aotearoa New Zealand. Dated to the Archaic Māori period (Te Tipunga 1200-1500). The blade is finely ground with a sharp cutting edge. The adze was attached to a wooden shaft held together by braided fibres. The technology for producing adzes was brought to New Zealand by Māori ancestors, and the first items made from nephrite or pounamu to appear in the archaeological record were adzes.  Objects made from nephrite were highly valued by the Māori. Pounamu was a very rare stone type, found only on the South Island of Aotearoa New Zealand, making the material highly sought after, especially on the North Island. Objects like the Toki pounamu was probably inherited through generations. It may have also been given as a gift to other tribes (iwis), to be returned at a later point.